Her Mysterious Ways

Chapter 6: Where's your grandpa?

My alarm screeched at me. I opened my eyes and sprung out of bed. I was so looking forward to school.
I grabbed some clothes and got changed really fast. I couldn't wast a second. I was going to get to school early just incase she was there.
I barrelled down the stairs and burst in the Gracie's room. I ran to her bed and shook her to wake her up.
"Gracie! Get up!" I said breathlessly. It may have been a bit loud, but my grandma needed to wake up to eat anyway, so I didn't care.
"I don't want to go to school." Gracie whined.
"But you gotta go learn so that you can teach me when we get home!" I said enthusiastically while I made our lunches. My grandma sat at the table with Gracie across from her.
"You mean we get to play school?!" Gracie smiled and hugged grandma out of happiness. At least she would go to school now.
"Yeah. But you have to go to school. I don't want to hear another complaint about it. You got that?" I pointed the spoon that I was now cooking the eggs with at her.
"Fine." She answered.
"I need to get your grandpa. I will be back. He should be up by now." My grandma started to get up.
"Grandma, he's not here. Remember?" I looked at her with pity. Just a poor old lady who can't remember that her husband died 4 years ago.
"Well where is he?" She asked with concerned eyes. Gracie looked at me expectantly. She wanted me to tell her.
"Grandma, grandpa died 4 years ago." I breathed. Grandma looked at me with confusion, then just like that, she snapped back into her old self.
"Oh yes. Sorry." She mumbled.
I continued to cook the eggs and Gracie started telling a story to grandma about something that happened at school.
*
We ate breakfast and then Gracie and I headed out the door. I walked her to the bus and said goodbye, and then I ran to school. I NEEDED to get there. Andy seemed like the type of person that would go to school early.
When I got there, I was disappointed to not be able to find her. She was right, she would see me- maybe. I guess this was just the side of maybe that I really didn't want to see. Jeez, she was way more mysterious than I thought.
Then I saw my friends.
There was Tristan standing at my locker door with his arms crossed and an angry expression plastered on his face. Was he never not serious?
"We missed you yesterday." He told me, keeping the same expression while he moved out of the way to let me get into my locker.
"Yeah sorry. My, um, dog got food poisoning. Yeah. He was in really bad condition." I lied. I didn't wen have a dog, let alone be able to pay for one.
"Oh sorry man. We didn't know. So I'm thinking you're not up for pranking the new girl today?" That's when he smirked. I tried to not freak as he explained that he was going to go into the girls change room while she was in gym and stink bomb her clothes.
"Don't." I told him, meeting his glare.
"Tell me that this isn't about yesterday." He demanded.
"No. No. It just that... I don't feel good enough to prank yet. Wait for me." I hoped he would believe me, despite the fact that I'm a terrible liar.
"Okay. Fine. Well I've got to go. Sorry about your dog." He waved goodbye an left. I was glad that I wouldn't need to lie to him anymore. Well, at least for now.
*
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*
So I found out that Andy didn't have ANY classes with me whatsoever, so when lunch came around, I searched for her wavy auburn hair. She seemed to be the only one with auburn hair at our school. I don't know why, but she was. It just made her even more unique.
I couldn't find her so I told the guys that I needed to go to detention (I knew the rumours would come eventually that I, Cole Jankinson, was in detention, but it was unfortunately the best excuse I had).
I briskly walked out of the cafeteria and went on a hunt for Andy. I just really wanted to talk to her, even if it was just as a friend.
*
After I went to every place I knew in the school, I walked out the doors to where I saw her yesterday. I looked at the sky an thought about what I did when I was a little kid. That was when I didn't have to worry about money or food or my grandma. There was no 'status quo' and girls had cooties. Those were the good days, well, mostly.
"So there you are, Cole the apparently not stereotypical jock. How's the day?" Andy's voice rang in my ears. I looked at her, and there she was, sitting criss cross applesauce on the bench. God she was weird.
"Hello Andy, the girl with the name that doesn't sound like the right name.
"What do you mean? Andy's my name. Deal with it." She replied a bit too defensively.
"Sure sure. Whatever you say, not Andy." I teased.
"Shut up. What class do you have?" She asked me, looking at me with those big blue eyes.
"Shop, you?" I silently hoped that she was at least in one of my classes.
"Art. I don't think that I'm in any if your classes actually." She shrugged her shoulders and continued looking at the sunrise.
"Damn it. I was hoping I could bug you more often." I smirked. She smiled and stuck her tongue out at me jokingly.
"Well I better get going. The teacher is a bitch. Anyway, have a boring day, just like all jocks' days should be." She gave a nod and then left. Just like that. Why was she so mean but so nice at the same time? It was so weird, just like her.
*
*
*
I struggled through all of my classes just to find out that my friends were planning on doing something after school again. Seriously though, who goes bowling on a weeknight? That's so stupid. Anyway, I told them that I had to go to work, which I did, and that I would see them later.
Lately, I just really didn't feel like hanging out with any of my friends. They were just getting on my nerves with their whole status quo shit. It was so annoying. Some days I just wanted to punch them.
It wasn't like they controlled me, but at the same time, they did, because I was always worried about what they thought of me, or what anybody thought of me. It was a really bad circle to fall into. Some days being popular just plain sucked.
I finished the day and walked out of the school in a huff. I didn't even know why I was in such a bad mood all of the sudden. It was like my inner switch went off and I hated everything. There was only two people that could lighten up my mood: Andy and Gracie. I needed to see at least one of them, so I thought I would wait for Andy since I was at the school. I wanted to walk with her again, just to continue with the whole 'friends' thing.
I waited for about 15 minutes and she never came out. I thought she was probably milling around the school so I went to look it her. Surely it wasn't that hard to find her since she was the only one with auburn hair in the whole school and the only one who dressed like a hipster.
I checked the gym and the library and all of the classrooms.
No Andy.
Then I remembered that I got my satchel in the cafeteria. My whole life was in that bag. I had to get it. If I didn't have my camera, I couldn't go to work. If I couldn't go to work, I couldn't pay the bills, and if I couldn't pay the bills, well, you know.
I sprinted to the cafeteria, people shooting dirty looks my way. Why? I tried to ignore them the best I could by it still bugged me. I hated not knowing what people thought about me. It was really important to be everyone's favourite person.
I entered the cafeteria to find my satchel sitting on the chair. I sighed with utter relief and walked really to go get it. I would've ran, but if the janitor was in there and caught me running, she would've made me help her, which was something that I didn't have much time to do. I had to get to work in an hour, and if I didn't go to work, well, I already told you.
Then I saw a flash of auburn hair. She was in the corner of the cafeteria with a black beanie covering the top of her head. Her green plaid shirt was tied around her waist and a Jack Daniels long sleeve shirt covered her torso. She had black skinny jeans and converse on. Then I saw a mop in her hands.
She was dancing.
I could see that her earphones were plugged into her ears, feeding music into her mysterious mind. She danced the same but differently than the day before. It was wonderful. She used the mop as a prop and swayed to the beat that I couldn't hear. I couldn't help but stare.
When she was done, I started clapping. She spun around so fast I thought she was going to fall, but she didn't.
"Why are you here?" She asked me not-so-nicely.
"I had to grab my bag." I answered, lifting my bag so that's he could see it.
"So your a rich kid satchel junkie?" She raised and eyebrow. Where did she come up with this stuff?
"Maybe. Maybe not. Why are you here?"
"Detention. It seems that dancing as an art project isn't an art project." She shrugged and continued mopping.
"Fun. Well since you aren't going to be done anytime soon, I should probably go. I have to... go. Yeah. Bye Andy." I smiled and gave a little wave.
"Bye Cole the apparently not stereotypical jock." She flashed that crooked smile and continued her mopping. God she was the best.